Enough Pens?

[Wile E Coyote]

I was just reading another post where someone had commented that they had enough pens.

Which got me thinking: I think I have too many pens, but it still doesn't feel like enough.

Can you ever have enough pens?
If you can have enough pens, just how many pens is enough?

[wingwiper]

I was just reading another post where someone had commented that they had enough pens.

Which got me thinking: I think I have too many pens, but it still doesn't feel like enough.

Can you ever have enough pens?
If you can have enough pens, just how many pens is enough?

You can never have enough pens.......

[fountainpenkid]

I find anything approaching 10 to be enough for me. I don't rotate pens as I can't bear the idea of ones I love to use being uninked.

[LeFreak]

I find anything approaching 10 to be enough for me. I don't rotate pens as I can't bear the idea of once I love to use being uninked.

Same here. I get vaguely anxious when I have more than ten pens, or more than ten inks.

[Amanda]

I calculate how many pens to keep inked by whether I'm actually using the ink in them, because I hate to see it wasted in order to maintain pen hygiene.

Thankfully, it's easy to use a lot of ink. :-) I pretty much always have a pen in hand - writing, drawing, doodling - AND have lots of colours AND lots of nib options. For drawing under watercolour: adding waterproof inks doubles up some colours.

When I suspected some pens were evaporating ink rather than me using it, I ran a test to see which ones and how fast. It was summer and it was way too fast. I had a dilemma: ink less pens or put the bad ones away until winter. I chose the latter, gradually buying more of the ones I trust to replace those I don't. The bad ones have been inked up for the winter but are already being run out for their summer nap.

That's the long way of saying: about 25.

[penwash]

Aha, enough pen for what?

For writing, that may be 5 or so.
For collecting, that may be 100 or so.

Depends on what you want out of the hobby really.

[VertOlive]

I have enough pens until the next "gotta have" appears on my horizon.

[Driften]

How many is enough, is like saying what is the best pen. It depends I guess at a minimum you need one for each color you want ready to write with plus special purpose pens like one used for desk/pocket/journal/etc.

[Sammyo]

Let's be honest, one pen is enough. If you have a writing implement to write with you have "enough".
Anything beyond that is something you want, but don't need...
...
...
...
I don't have enough pens!

[ShugPug]

To borrow the rule from cycling, the correct number is surely n+1 (where n=current number of pens...)

[rluka]

The number can fluctuate.
10 would be my psychological border.
Practically, one for each ink colour I used (that would be 5), one for carrying around in pocket/notebook.
Maybe add one nice pen, and that's about it for me.

Don't need each nib size for each colour (sharing out justification)
There's a local proverb, "to love (someone) doesn't have to mean to own"
That and FP is not the only money sink.

[birch]

Until I started to spend time on FP forums one pen was always enough. I'm trying to convince myself again that one or two is plenty.

[Roger W.]

For collecting 100?!?!?! Are you kidding me? I have somewhere around 2,000 and of those over 100 are Boston Fountain Pen Company. The majority are Sheaffers - over 100 hard rubber flattops. 100 is just too limiting for a collection of any breadth.

I do feel I have too many ink up right now at 5 because I don't write that much and they can dry out - like the 4 that need cleaned because they dried out (so I had 9).

Historically, one pen is the total most anyone ever had and if it was in the shop they got a loaner. Makers started advertising owning a second pen in the 1940's like Sheaffer's tuck-a-way.

Roger W.

[penwash]

For collecting 100?!?!?! Are you kidding me? I have somewhere around 2,000 and of those over 100 are Boston Fountain Pen Company. The majority are Sheaffers - over 100 hard rubber flattops. 100 is just too limiting for a collection of any breadth.

I do feel I have too many ink up right now at 5 because I don't write that much and they can dry out - like the 4 that need cleaned because they dried out (so I had 9).

Historically, one pen is the total most anyone ever had and if it was in the shop they got a loaner. Makers started advertising owning a second pen in the 1940's like Sheaffer's tuck-a-way.

Roger W.

Roger, I know personally a few people who collect at or above your level. So I am not surprised at all that you have 2000 pens in your collections.

I mentioned 100 in my post above because I want to be sensitive to the rest of us to whom the concept of owning 2000 pens is quite inconceivable at the moment.

[AzJon]

I will never own 2000 pens. Even if I had the means, I think. Probably an unpopular stance, but I don't believe in hoarding pens simply for the sake of it. One need not own every make of every pen in existence in my opinion. Unless, that is, the owner is also someone who then sells those pens.

I currently have 12 pens. 10 vintage, one modern, and one from the 80s that I can't bear to call 'vintage'. That is arguably "enough" pens. I can rotate through them and use each and every pen during a year. If I'm not using a particular pen, I sell it (currently off-loading some of those pens at Pen Agora). I think I'm able to do this because I'm able to 'catch and release' as it were. I revel in the hunt for vintage pens. And not just the hunt for pens that I know I'm going to blow a huge amount of money on. I love hunting pens that turn out to be a Sumgai purchase. Pens that are ugly at first, but with a bit of cleaning and care end up looking just beautiful. To breathe new life into old pens is, to me, more gratifying than the actual possession over a pen (though, there is some overlap).

So, to summarize: I consider "enough" pens as having the right number of pens that I can appreciate their beauty and be sure to have them in a regular rotation for use.

[catbert]

Do I have enough pens? Yes.
Will this stop me acquiring more pens? No.

[grainweevil]

I had enough pens at one, but I bought a second pen in my youth and subsequently haven't had enough pens ever since.

[Lady Onogaro]

I know I have enough, but then I see one that calls to me, and it's hard to resist. There's a pen I do not need right now that is calling to me, but I think $150 out the door? No way. So I went to see what I could sell, and I didn't want to sell anything, so no, I am not going to buy it.

[Stickler]

I have this problem. I want to use all the pens I have. And I went fast and deep into the hobby. I would love to get down to just a select few I would use all the time. I could probably go down to 15 without really getting emotional letting go. I own about 35 pens.

[Stickler]

I know I have enough, but then I see one that calls to me, and it's hard to resist. There's a pen I do not need right now that is calling to me, but I think $150 out the door? No way. So I went to see what I could sell, and I didn't want to sell anything, so no, I am not going to buy it.

I have 9 Pelikans, and two Viscontis.. it is hard not to want to start collecting some Van Gogh or Rembrants. I also have this pleasure with Esterbrooks... But I think focus is needed.